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Three year “Comic Art Europe” project closes, but new developments in the works

By John Freeman on February 16, 2024

Comic Art Europe, the international project created by a partnership of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, Escola Joso, in Spain, the Lyon BD Festival and Musée de la BD – Bruxelles, co-financed by the Europe Creative programme of the European Union, has come to an end, but will most certainly prove a springboard to many new things.

Comic Art Europe. Photo: Daniel-Fouss — Photo: Daniel-Fouss

The Comic Art Europe project, a pilot project brought together four European organisations representing different elements of the comic book ecosystem: a higher education institution, festivals and a museum. It looked to strengthen the comic book sector in Europe by experimenting with collaborative working methods.

Over three years, CAE promoted the transnational mobility of artworks, workers and creators, as a means to significantly upscale the work, and prefigures a European comics community capable of positioning creators and organisations at a European level, thereby challenging the historical dominance of the American and Japanese giants.

Kugali Media's Hamid Ibrahim at Abraham Moss Community Primary School, as part of Comic Art Europe's Comics Literacy project — *Kugali Media’s Hamid Ibrahim at Abraham Moss Community Primary School, as part of Comic Art Europe’s Comics Literacy project*

The project experimented with professional training (through summer camp and residency pathways), creative assistance (with grants and residencies), dissemination of results in Europe and outside Europe (with a European comic book catalogue, large-scale dissemination channels) and mediation around the transformational power of comics – in particular through literacy workshops with comics.

A small sample of the amazing things Comic Art Europe was involved in over the past three years…

“It’s been three years of exhibitions, summer camps, contacts with artists and, above all, a lot of comics. and, although the project is ending, having lived this experience, it will stay with many of us of the Festival team, and the creators who were involved in it over the past three years, forever,” commented a Lakes Festival spokesperson, ahead of this year’s event in September.

That will see the launch of its first International Rights Market, attracting publishers to the annual event in the search for new comic projects to check out from British creators.

“Many thanks to all the people who participated, the artists in residences, the volunteers,” say the Festival team. “In short, to our friends who have been part of Comic Art Europe.

“It’s not the end, it’s the beginning of many things…”

• Find out more about Comic Art Europe at comicarteurope.eu

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.